Category Archives: Debian / Ubuntu

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Thank you to all… Jasper v1.6 Image News!

First, I would like to say thank you to the community members for helping out. I have gotten a lot of input on the new image.  This has also given me better feel for what the community wanted in an image. Which leads me to the next bit of news.

Some of you are undoubtedly wondering why I have not released my Jasper v1.6 image as of yet.  Well, I can assure you there are very good reasons.

Firstly,  I have had some severe family/health issues come up as of late which take priority.  I am also in the middle of moving a family of 5.  Combine that with the other reasons below, and I feel that most will feel the wait to be worth it.

This leads me to the next bit of news, however shocking it may be.

  1.  There will be no version 1.6 image.
    1. There will be no image at all…
  2.  Instead, there will be a full installer.
    1. This is one of the reasons for the delay.
  3.   The installer will work with a full GUI, and on the desktop.
    1. Examples:
      1. Full ubuntu Install.
      2. Fresh RPI install with GUI.
  4. The installer will be iterated on by feature going forward.
    1. We can add community approved features one at a time.
      1. Example:
        1. Change Jaspers Name
        2. Change STT after setup
        3. Etc.

FAQ (COMING SOON)

  • So whats that mean for me?
  • What do I do if I am running Jasper v.15?
  • Where do I get the installer?
  • Do I need to upgrade?

 

A few BASH tips from an old Linux admin.

Everyone has seen these “Top 50 commands” blah blah blah….. #clickbait….

I am writing this just to make BASH a much more pleasant experience for people new and old to Linux.  It is also for any sysadmin that has simply not been introduced to some of them.

I could list tons of them, but that’s going to get a simple TL;DR for most people.  Then they will move on.  So I will list a few and lets let those digest.  Keep in mind all commands are in Linux, and may vary by distribution.

First BASH tips (Simple, but time savers):

  1.  Type ‘cd’ and you will go to your home directory for the user you are logged into.
    1. Similar to “cd” ~, however ~ can sometimes rely on the environment.
  2. To return to the previous directory you can type ” cd -“.
    1. This will return you to your previous location, not home.
  3. Type “tailf”, instead of “tail f” for the same results.
    1. Also, “tail -200” can be used instead of “tail -n 200”
  4. Use a custom “PS1” for root, and regular users.
    1. A “PS1” is the text in the login prompt. See Example to the right:
      1. Notice it is yellow
      2. Do the same but in red for root.
    2. Examples:
      1. Debian PS1 for a normal user (as seen to the right)
      2. Debian PS1 for a ROOT user.
        1. These will need to be added to the bottom of “.bashrc” in your home directory
        2. Keep in mind files starting with a . are hidden in Linux, but there.
          1. I also have MAC PS1’s public in my gists.

 

I think that is enough for today, I hope this helps make BASH your friend.

 

-M

Jasper Kits on hold…

These were for the community, and I have enjoyed designing and building these kits.  However, I am at a point now, where I do not have the time to properly maintain and build and ship them.  This is not necessarily a permanent decision, I may bring them back in the future given I have the time.

That being said, I do have a few left.  If you are interested please let me know now.  I will get an exact count soon, and update it here.  Once they are gone, I will not be building more.

With all that being said, I am still here to help with questions.  I am also still developing what I hope is a better user experience with my images.  (Version 1.6 out soon!)

If you have any questions; or would like one of the last kits, I would suggest speaking up now.  Not that I will disappear, but I will be unable to spend the time on them for a while starting soon.

I also wanted to say thank you again to the community members that are helping each other, and the new guys.  I do notice, and it is appreciated.

-M

Jasper Image V1.6 – Release Date!

I have recently had a large number of people wanting to know the exact release date for the v1.6 image. I will release it without the installer, and release the installer separately so it can be used on images that are not mine.

  • Release Date:
    February 15, 2017

I would highly suggest that if there is annoyance; or fix for the next release that it be reported ASAP to the room in our SLACK.

 

Thanks for your patience,

Matthew Curry

Jasper Image v1.6 – Coming Soon!

There are already several improvements to the image, and I have put out feelers for any fixes/updates/etc that I can do to make the user experience better.  I already have a few of the obvious ones, however please feel free to report them in the new slack room “image-v1-6”, or in the Forums at the following LINK.

I am already working on it being pre-installed in the future with a REST api on it.  Making it easy to integrate with anything!

I will be posting the release notes with the new updates with the new image, and here as a post.  So please keep an eye out.

 

Thanks,
Matt

NEW Jasper Documentation!

Hello All,

First, I want to thank everyone that has been patient with me so far in getting these things done one at a time…

I know it is not easy to get some of these things completed without good documentation.  So, with the help of a few community members, I have started what is a very rough draft of our documentation.  It is neither complete, or ready….  However, we are adding information as we go, so keep a close eye.  Even feel free to clone it, and contribute.  There will be documentation on how to do both of those coming as well.  Feel free to watch here, the repository, or the Support Forums/Slack for updates.  I update them all.

If you have items you would like to see added to the documentation, I would run it by myself, or d34dman first.  If we have not already written it (there are some not committed yet); then we will just let you know to put in a PR (aka Pull Request).  Once we have both reviewed it and give it a thumbs up.  We will merge it.

Alright, all that said… Here is the link to the documentation!

 

Thanks,

Matthew Curry

Jasper Image v1.5 Released

Major Updates

NOTE:  Be sure to do a “git pull” in the “Jasper-RPI-Tools” directory to get the updated scripts.

  • Installed Home-Assistant.io
    • Script to enable Home-Assistant.io Daemon
      • It is located /home/pi/Jasper-RPI-Tools/enable-hass-service.sh
    • Config under /home/hass/.homeassistant
    • Installed in Virtual Environment
    • Installed under the “hass” user.
  • Removed clutter from rc.local
    • Was causing harmless error at boot.
  • Installed needed dependencies for the development branch
    • libmad0 * libmad0-dev
  • Created/Enabled Service for jasper “jasper-daemon”
  • Created/Disable Service for Home-Assistant.io (user needs to enable)
  • Created Script to download a specified version of Jasper/Jasper-dev
    • It is located /home/pi/Jasper-RPI-Tools/installers/jasper-repo-installer.sh
      • You can pick what branch you would like to use at clone-time
  • Ensure phonetisaurus pre-compiled/installed
  • Removed Erroneous cron entries
  • Updated the OS and all related pkgs

Pre-Built Jasper Kits, Ready to go out of the box!

These kits will arrive and be ready to use the moment you power them up. They will be customized to the user, and an image will be provided so they can restore any time they like.

They will include the following:

  • RPI3 B+
  • 32GB Class 10 SD Card
  • US Robotics 9610 [USB Speaker/Mic]
  • Customized/Installed/Setup of Jasper by me personally
    • Install of Jasper and all dependencies
    • STT Setup
    • TTS Setup
  • Testing
    • Running overnight
    • With your settings if you wish
  • Copy of your personalized image for backup
    • In case you wish to restore to a “Known Good” state
  • Updates
    • Such as customized integrations and modules provided by me.
    • Updated Installer / Setup script COMING SOON.

If you are interested in one of these kits, feel free to contact me or start the process by purchasing one below:




Jasper Images Updated version 1.4 (aka Revision 4)

They are updating now; this includes a few fixes and features.

 

  • Jasper Tools Cron Installed (keeps them updated)
  • TTS Server Setup Out of the box!
  • STT Setup Out of the Box! (Just add key in profile.yml)
  • Jasper Start at Boot Cron Installed (allows for Jasper to start at boot)
  • Tested with several different variations of USB devices
    • USB Mic /Speaker Combinations
  • A ‘paired’ installer will be released soon!
    • This will allow the user to answer a few simple questions and have it running in seconds.

I apologize for the delays recently, I have had some personal issues come up.

Jasper Client Links

These are several links I have compiled, and/or created in the last few months. They can help you get Jasper going. I am also working on a full how-to for both RPI2 and RPI3.

  • Jasper-Support-Forums
    • Support forums, I help run these if you have any questions. Contact Me.
  • SLACK SIGN UP
    • Chat room for helping with Jasper
  • Jasper-Client
    • Official Jasper-Client
  • Jasper-RPI-Tools:
    • Set of tools I created in helping setup Jasper/RPI. They are a work in progress, so be sure to do a ‘git pull’ often.
  • RPI-Jasper-Dependencies:
    • Set of pre-compiled dependencies, that would normally take hours to compile. Tested on RPI2/3. Usually used for a non-Jasper image; as the images I created have them all installed.
  • ALSA Setup Wiki
    • Help with ‘.asoundrc’, and setting your default audio device
    • Usually the most common road block.
  • Home-Assistant.io: Home automation for the RPI, works very well. Working on integration on the same RPI; however it has dependency conflicts. Testing in pyenv soon…
  • How TO: Burning SD Card